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Ali Schwartz
Ali Schwartz
The coronavirus was brand new and spreading fast on March 18, 2020. On that day, out of an abundance of caution, Governor Tony Evers ordered all Wisconsin schools closed until April 6, 2020. What was meant to only last a few weeks continued to keep many Wisconsin schools closed to in-person education for over a year. Nearly every school experienced disruption to their curriculum over almost two years of pandemic mitigation. For a state with already low proficiency rates, the disruption is devastating. In the 2018-19 school year, before the pandemic, 40.8% of Wisconsin students were proficient in reading and…
Read MoreContact: Jim Bender, School Choice Wisconsin [email protected] 414.319.9160 Brookfield, WI – Upon the announcement that Representative Thiesfeldt will not run for reelection, School Choice Wisconsin thanks him for his years of public service and dedication to education in Wisconsin. As chairman of the Assembly Education Committee his guidance and assistance has been invaluable to lives of thousands of students across Wisconsin. In particular, his support for the Parental Choice Programs helped transform the landscape of education reform. When first elected, there was a single program in Milwaukee with roughly 100 schools and 21,000 students. Today, there are four programs,…
Read MoreFor Immediate Release October 15, 2021 Contact: Jim Bender, School Choice Wisconsin [email protected] 414.319.9160 Brookfield, WI – The Department of Public Instruction released enrollment numbers today for all education sectors in Wisconsin for this fall. Here is the data from their press release: The state’s four private school parental choice programs (4) reported a combined third Friday of September 2021 headcount of 48,919. This was an increase of 6.6 percent over 2020. 4K headcount in the private school parental choice programs increased by 10.7 percent, kindergarten increased by 5.1 percent, and grades 1-12 were up by 6.5 percent. Independent charter…
Read MoreSeminar: The Science of Reading: Background & Opportunities There are ways to learn to read that are supported by science. This seminar on teaching reading gives an overview of the way reading is currently taught in Wisconsin, explains the “Science of Reading”, provides examples of the ways that schools are implementing SoR, and offers options for support. Some key points and highlights: There are only four public elementary schools in Wisconsin with greater than 80% proficiency in reading. Schools with 30% – 40% reading and math proficiency are considered to be “meeting expectations”. “Balanced Literacy”, an approach widely used in…
Read MoreIn a followup to the first EANS roundtable, School Choice Wisconsin Action (SCWA) hosted a second hour-long discussion, titled “EANS And The Choice Audit”. The panel included Paul Helmers of Wipfli, LLP, Lori Saqer of Messmer Catholic Schools, and Jason Wrasse of Reilly, Penner & Benton. They addressed many of the common questions and concerns about how EANS will affect Choice audits. After reviewing the various pandemic financial aid programs (ESSER, GEAR, ECF, PPP, EANS), the discussion focused on EANS and the audit-related questions associated with it. The panel addressed the following topics: The $5,000 threshold dividing supplies and equipment…
Read MoreSchool Choice Wisconsin (SCW) has named Nicholas Kelly to the position of president, effective immediately, said Susan Mitchell, acting president and board chair. Kelly joined SCW in July. He formerly was the principal of St. Thomas More High School, a private school in Milwaukee that participates in Wisconsin’s parental choice programs. As a principal Mr. Kelly took a special interest in making his students feel part of the school community. Under his leadership St. Thomas More implemented a four-year servant leadership program, an after-school mentoring/tutoring program, and a social and emotional wellness program through student services. He took a holistic approach…
Read MoreAround the country we have seen a number of new education policy proposals that empower parents in K-12 education. Even in states that are not traditional sources of educational options, the pandemic has engaged parents in a manner that is garnering strong reactions. Today, here in Wisconsin, we see a new proposal that expands our existing parental choice options. By eliminating a number of remaining barriers, parents would have significantly more control across all sectors of education for all parents. Common Sense Wisconsin released the Power Education Blueprint with an agenda for reforming and enhancing the way families engage with…
Read MoreDOUSMAN, WI – On a cold afternoon in February, Annalise Cartwright had a parent-teacher conference unlike any other before. She sat in the brightly colored miniature chairs, customary for her 4-year-old Kindergarten classroom, with her mom, Melissa; dad, Allen; teacher, Juanita Gutbrod; and principal, Ben Holzem. They tried to break the news gently. A fire earlier in the day had destroyed their home and everything in it, even her Barbie house, Annalise’s favorite among toys. As tragic as the day was, it also gave the Cartwrights a deeper understanding and appreciation for what St. Bruno’s Catholic School had become to…
Read MoreSchool Choice Wisconsin’s first EANS funding seminar was a roundtable discussion for school staff members to ask questions and share information about EANS stimulus funds. The panel included Lori Saqer of Messmer High School, Brian Frank of St Augustine Preparatory Academy, and Donna Bembenek of Catholic Memorial High School. A complete FAQ from this roundtable can be found on our blog. The EANS funding seminar goes into detail about most of the questions schools have regarding allowable purchases, working with CESA6, supporting learning loss, hiring additional staff, transportation costs, additional summer school classes, and reimbursement deadlines. This seminar gives school administrators the detailed…
Read MoreIf there is one thing that 7-year-old Kyan Wakefield has enthusiasm about, it is prayer. The second-grader loves to pray. In fact, he gets a bit overzealous at times, and is gently reminded to cut it short when he leads the prayer at his new school, HOPE Via, in Racine. That doesn’t surprise his parents, Fatima and Charles Wakefield. They stand their family of six on faith. It was during a school supply drive at their church, Reconciliation Ministries International, where they met HOPE Principal Castenzio Venegas. The church had gathered supplies for needy families who would be attending HOPE,…
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